Attachment eor automobiles



1. F. McNAMARA. ANTISKID ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 18, 1919.

Mini 1 l Patented Jl'ul'e- 10, 1919.

' 2 $HEETSSHEFTI JfF. McNAMARA, ANT'ISKID ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES.

I APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18. l9l9. 385.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z Patented June 10, 1919.

' r TEn gfs PATENT OFFICE? JOHN autumnaa or nmimx, CONNECTICUT.

' mtsKm ATTACHMENT Fon AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent. 'Pal'ented June 10, 1919.

Application filed January 18; 1919. Serial No. 271,766.

T oall "whom it mayconcern:

'Be it known that I, J 01m- F. MCNAMARA', a citizen of the United States, residin at the city of Danbury, county of Fair eld, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Antiskid .Attachments for Automobiles rand-I do declare the following to bea full, clear, and "exact description of the'in'vention', such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain new and f useful' improvements inan antiskid attach:

ment for automobiles, and'it has for one of,

-i5"its objects to provide a skid-preventing,

shy-the C 'iver. of the vehicle, whenever the conditionsjof the road necessitate. its use.'

rangement's and. combinations hereinafter described and claimed, refer-v ence being had to the accompanying drawv wheeled device adapted to be expeditiously lowered into engagement with the roadway Further, the invention resides in a twowheeled attachment of durable construction andcapable. of functioning as an emergency truck for supporting the weight of the rear end of thevehicle inv the event of either or both rear wheels becoming disabled.

The invention will further be found in the features of construction and the ar-' of. parts 'ings whereim- I 'antiskid attachment; s5

Figure 1 is a fragmental side elevation'of an automobile equipped with the improved Fig. 2 is a partial top plan and.

Fig.- 3 is a detailed sectional view through gone of the mountings for the ends of the axle which wheels.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, I

theattachment is pivotally mounted on the rear axle housing 1 of the automobile, and

' comprises a pair of arms 2 arranged on .op-

posit'e sides ofthe difi'erential housing 3. Each arm or support 2 is longitudinally slotted for nearly its full length. to provide a guideway 4 for the journal block -5. The upper end of the. arm is plvotally-connected to the axle housing in any sultablemanner,

, as byproviding-a seat to receive the housing and securing the latter in its seat by a strap 6 and fasteners 7 1 The journal blocks 5 are slidably ar-" ranged in the guideway-4. on the ball bearings 8 to 'mi'nimize'the frictional contact he- View thereof control lever 15 which is located in the fore supports the skid-preventingsli withnotches 25-adapted to receive tween the sliding parts. Coiled springs 9 are interposed between the upper ends of noted that when the ant iskiddevice encounters an obstruction, or in the event that either traction wheel 13,01 both, .should become dislodged, accidentally or otherwise, conslderablemore pressure and load will come upon the device so that the wheels 10, their supportlng axle 11 and the journal bearings 5 will approach the axle housing 1 and the central looped: portion 12 of the axle will straddle the difl'erential housing to reinforce the device and make it doubly secure. The tires 14 for the wheels. 10 have grooved peripheries which aiford a firm gripor engagement with the roadway.

Under normal conditions, these tires are preferably formed of rubber or a vulcaniza-ble compound thereof, but in winter when the roadway is more or less icy, these tires'can be made of steel.

For raising and'lowering the skid-preventive device, a system of levers. are interposed between for connecting. the device to the part of the vehicle adjacent the drivers seat, being pivoted to a .floor bracket-l6 so'that its lower end depends therebeneath.

Intermediate the lever 15 and the device is a rock, shaftl'? having a crank arm- 18 connected to one end of 'a'link'19 which has a play cpnnection 20 at its opposite end with the lower end of the control and operating lever.- At spaced points ,pairof-lift arms 21, the same being locatedadjacent the swinging supports 2 and con nected at their outer'or free ends to the ends of the axle 11, that: protrude beyond the journal bearings'5 by links 22. Nuts 23 secure the links 22 to the axle and against the S 22 to their respective lift arms 21. The free ends of the lift arins project htly beyond the pivotsf24; and are prodepending loop or j .100 on the shaft 17 is a ios .bearirtli blocks, while pivot pins 24 connect the li lateral stop pins 26 ontlie links 22, when the latter and the lift arms are. relatively ex- I tended. This connection affords an eiiicient through which controllev'er operates, ,is

lock against upward breakin of these parts so that thewheels 10 will eheld firmly down on the roadway. As a means for holding the device elevated,- the floor slot 27,

formed with an offset 28 into which the lever may be shifted laterally.

- When it is desired to applythe' antiskid device, the operator merely disengages the control lever from, the notch or offset 28 and shifts it forwardly to rock the shaft which effects downward movement ,of the 'lift arms, and the latter being linked to the swinging supports the wheels 10 will be brought down into engagement with the roadway. By reason of their direct mounting on the rear axle housing the wheels 10 will engage the roadway intermediate the rear wheels of the vehicle and in alinement with their point of contact with the roadway; This arrangement is especially de-x sirable; since, the antis'kid wheels so disposed will not interfere with thesteering of the automobile. Tlhe. wheels ;-willalso se cure a firm grip on the roadway, their pres sure thereon being practically uniform since they yield with the axle of the vehicle and not with the frame.

,What is claimed is: p a 1. An antiskid attachment forautom'o- -biles, comprising, in combination with an automobile, a pair bf supporting arms slotted longitudinal 1y,to provide guide-'ways-and rotatably mounted on the rear axle housing.

of'the automobile on opposite sides of the difie rential housing, bearing blocks slidabl'e in t e gu deways of the arms, coiled springs 'l linterposed' between the upper ends of the ""gu'ideways and the blocks, an .axle' hav ng its ends supported in the blocks and ts central portion looped downwardly to straddle,

the differential housing, wheelsmounted on axle-on opposite sides of the central looped portion, and means for raising and lowering .the wheels from and intoengagement with the roadway;

2. An antiskid attachment for autom'obiles, comprising, in combinationwith an automobile, a pair of supporting arms slotted longitudinally to provide guideways and rotatably'mounted on the rear axle housing of the automob le on opposite sides of the differential housing, bearing blocks'slidable in the upper ends of the guidewaysand the blocks, an axle having itsends supported in the. blocks, and projecting .th'erethrough,.

wheels on the axle between-the arms, a rock shaft, spaced arms fixed thereon,links connecting the fixed arms to the projecting ends, of the axle, means for positively holding the fixed arms and their connected links in extended relation to hold thewheels in engage 'gn'ient with the roadway, and means for rocking the shaft to raise and lower the wheels.

'3. In an antiskid attachment for aut01no f biles, a wheeled frame adapted for pivotal connection with the rear axle housing of an automobile, said frame including an axle, wheels on' the axle, a rock shaft, arms fixed on the shaft, links connectedat one end to the axle and at their opposite ends to the fixed. arms adjacent their (free ends, said free ends of the-armsextendlng' beyond the link connection and formed with notches,

lateral 'pins carried by the links toenter the arm notches for holdingthe'links and fixed arms extended, and means for rocking the 

